Sabang Port Development with India Will Promote Economic Growth: Official

TheIndonesia.id - The Indonesian government is optimistic that port development project in Sabang, Aceh, with India will boost economic growth in the region and bring benefits to citizens in the two countries.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment said improving infrastructures in Indonesia’s outermost regions, including in Aceh, is one of the cabinet’s main focuses to enhance connectivity.

“The development of maritime connectivity and investment in the outermost regions is President Joko Widodo’s priority in his second term,” acting deputy assistant for connectivity infrastructure at the Ministry Lukijanto said on Thursday, March 17, as reported by Antara.

And in regards to India’s involvement in the project to further build Sabang Port, the bilateral cooperation is part of Aceh- Andaman and Nicobar Islands connectivity task force’s activities.

Besides the port, other infrastructures in Sabang will also go through enhancement because the area is deemed to have many potentials due to its geographic location, especially related to Andaman-Aceh connectivity.

“Trade and other economic activities between Andaman and Aceh as well as G2G and B2B cooperation can flourish from Sabang Port development,” Lukijanto stated.

Furthermore, the two sides are also targeting inter-port agreement between Sabang and Port Blair with similar goals to trigger economic growth in the regions.

Lukijanto was present at the joint working group with the Management Board of Free Trade Zone and Free Port of Sabang (BPKS) to discuss the plan, and after the meeting, BPKS will work from Sabang along with a team from India to conduct the feasibility study and formulate the detailed project report.

This cooperation between Indonesia and India is a follow-up to the 2018 meeting between President Widodo and PM Narendra Modi that resulted in Statement on Shared Vision on Maritime Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.